Posts Tagged ‘Enbridge’

Yet another pipeline and tanker project to export bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to Asia or the United States is being reviewed by the National Energy Board (NEB). The Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project would include approximately 990 km of new pipeline between Edmonton and Vancouver and expand a marine terminal in the Fraser River delta. Traffic from this terminal through the Salish Sea would increase from the current five to an estimated 34 oil tankers per month. Nature Canada and BC Nature, represented by University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre, are jointly intervening in the review to ensure that nature is well-represented at the NEB hearings, expected to commence in January 2015. The first job of our team of… read more →

In our final submissions to the Joint Review Panel, Nature Canada and BC Nature are urging the Panel to recommend that the federal government reject the Northern Gateway Pipeline Project. Nature Canada and BC Nature are submitting that Enbridge, the pipeline proponent, has underestimated the environmental risks of the Project. Northern Gateway would further threaten woodland caribou, a species at risk, with increased mortality from predators and impacts of habitat fragmentation on the caribou’s ability to feed and breed. Enbridge also failed to examine the risks associated with a worst-case scenario oil spill, such as in the globally significant Scott Islands Important Bird Area nor the potential impact of oil spills on marine mammals such as orcas and grey whales… read more →

As the federal government soldiers on in its quest to fast-track the Northern Gateway pipeline over the objections of Canadians everywhere, British Columbians continue to worry over the future of their coastlines and marine environments — and how an oil spill would affect the tourism and fisheries industries upon which so many residents depend. Many are looking to Premier Christy Clark and urging her to break her silence and support the majority of British Columbians who oppose this project. Nature Canada and BC Nature, joint intervenors in the National Energy Board Joint Review Panel’s hearings into the pipeline, have issued an open letter to the Premier. Here’s the main message: …We are deeply disturbed by the BC Government’s failure to… read more →

Yesterday, the federal government released a budget that makes it easier to rush headlong into potentially damaging industrial projects, makes it harder for Canadians to have a say about major development in their own backyard, and risks the things Canadians depend on for their health and safety – water, food, air and ecosystems. This weakened environmental oversight will apply not only to future projects, but to those currently being assessed, such as the Northern Gateway Pipeline. Changing the rules mid-process like this will not result in smarter, safer development, but in the opposite. This budget does propose $50 million over two years to support the implementation of the Species at Risk Act, which is important for protecting our most vulnerable… read more →

Protests continue against the Northern Gateway project. From economic arguments (here and here), to more grassroots opposition, the groundswell against this project grows. In earlier posts I summarized the risks marine birds would face from artificial lights and overhead wires. But as more and more tanker traffic invades their traditional marine habitat – more than 200 a year — birds would be forced to make way. And we know from experience that many bird species don’t respond well to such disruption. Marine bird species vary widely in their sensitivity to boat traffic. Most studies measure this by recording something called flush distance –that’s the distance at which birds leave an area when vessels pass by. Large flocks of Common Scoters… read more →

Public hearings continue as Canadians voice their concerns about Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. In addition to the roughly 4,000 citizens who have signed up to take part, thousands have also written letters to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other elected officials with a clear message that this pipeline is not in the public’s interest. That certainly holds true for B.C.’s wildlife too. Last week, I summarized the risk that artificial lights – from tankers, towers and other infrastructure – pose to marine and migratory birds. But there’s another highwire hazard B.C.’s birds could face: Collisions by birds with power lines are a cause of mortality in many species. In written evidence submitted by Nature Canada and BC Nature to the joint review… read more →

You can’t protect something once it’s gone.Imagine it: Pollution from tanker traffic. Devastating oil spills. Destruction of pristine habitat for sea otters, killer whales, seabirds, caribou and even iconic spirit bears.That’s what’s awaiting British Columbia’s northern coast and hundreds of species of birds, animals and other wildlife that thrive in this region if we don’t take action right now. The controversial Northern Gateway Pipeline project proposes to carry tar sands oil from Alberta across the Rockies to the northern B.C. port of Kitimat. Giant tankers — some nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall — loaded with crude oil headed for Asia would navigate through the pristine and rugged northern B.C. coast at the unbelievable rate… read more →

For those who don’t already know, Nature Canada is one of those radical groups opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline project. And while many have offered intelligent, well-stated rebuttals to this odd claim (try this, and this), we all know such talk is a diversion. The real issue is the project itself, and whether it’s in the public interest. As an official intervenor, we’ve submitted written evidence, with BC Nature, that argues Enbridge has failed to adequately consider the potential effects of the project on marine birds, birds listed under the Species at Risk Act, Important Bird Areas and Woodland Caribou. For those not inclined to read the nearly 100 pages of scientific analysis — but who still wish to… read more →

On 7 September we told you about the threats to Kenya’s Tana River Delta Important Bird Area from plans by the Canadian company Bedford Biofuels to establish a jatropha (biofuel) plantation. Since our post Bedford has been in touch to express their disagreement with our criticism of their project (see the comment posted). However, our concerns continue. Nature Canada has written to the Canadian government to bring our concerns to their attention and find out whether the government is supporting this project. We will let you know their response. In the meantime, here is a summary of the latest information provided by our BirdLife partners at Nature Kenya: At the start of this week Bedford Biofuels and Nature Kenya… read more →

Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Pipeline Project proposes to take tar sands oil from Alberta to the northern BC port of Kitimat for export to Pacific markets. Enbridge believes petroleum products can be moved safely through the northern BC coast, in part thanks to “modern and double-hulled” tankers. In a report released last week, Living Oceans Society takes a close look at the limitations of double-hulled tankers and concludes they’re not the panacea they’re touted to be. The risk of an oil spill in the northern BC coast is one of the main objections to this project. A spill could cause irreversible harm to the livelihoods of many coastal and aboriginal communities, the area’s unique marine ecosystems, the Great Bear Rainforest and… read more →